Contactless payments coming to London Underground in September

As of September 16th, those travelling on the Tube will be able to use contactless payment cards and devices instead of Oyster cards.

TfL will introduce the system on the London Underground, Overground, DLR and Trams in addition to London buses, which have had contactless payment options since December 2012.

Contactless payment credit, debit, charge and pre-paid cards and devices will work the same way as Oyster cards, charging the pay as you go fare by touching in and out on the readers at the start and end of every journey.

Shashi Verma, TfL's director of customer experience, said: “Offering the option of contactless payments will make it easier and more convenient for customers to pay for their travel, freeing them of the need to top up Oyster credit and helping them get on board without delay. The pilot has been a success, with participants giving us really useful feedback. This is the latest step in making life easier for our customers by using modern technology to offer the best service possible.”

Once the new system comes into place, TfL will become one of the world’s largest single merchant accepting contactless payment cards.

TfL is warning customers to only touch one card to the reader to avoid ‘card clash’. You can find out more about how the system works in the below video: